Charles Herbertson, the busy, methodical, soft-spoken Public Works Director of Culver City for almost seven years, turns a vigorous 54 years old one week from Friday.
This would make him a prime candidate for early — beneficial — retirement under City Hall’s drastically redrawn pension plan that was initially approved the other day by the first of the city’s six unions, the Culver City Management Group.
Were Mr. Herbertson, a maximally invested employee inside the bright-line age of 50, to retire between now and Dec. 31, his post-employment benefits would be significantly more generous than if he leaves next year or beyond.
He told the newspaper this morning that the alluring opportunity is not tempting him, that the new deal does not change anything.
“I am not going to change my plans based on what the Management Group agreed to,” Mr. Herbertson said.
It was speculated last week when the City Council ratified a fairly radical but nationally typical package of trimmed benefits and increased worker contributions, that it could inspire an employee rush for the exits. At this early hour, there are no signs yet of that happening.
Mr. Herbertson’s opinion:
“The Management Group is a small one, and the idea is to negotiate similar provisions in contracts for all the other groups. I think for the larger groups, some of these agreed-upon provisions will become issues.
“I wasn’t involved in the Management discussions where executives are kind of in their own group now.
“Obviously, any time you are asking people to give back, there is a little bit of angst. I would say it’s a necessary process but it is not an easy process. I am not saying every item in the first agreement has to be the way it is.
“But what is necessary is the savings the city is trying to achieve, definitely necessary in the current environment.”
An engineer by training, Mr. Herbertson loves his work, key to his decision.
He isn’t planning to go anywhere — except to Palo Alto next week for his daughter’s graduation, in Urban Studies, from Stanford.
“I am not in any hurry to retire,” he said. “Besides, it will take me 20 years to pay off my daughter’s last four years in college.”
